Are you wondering what 2022 will bring in terms of changes to the workplace? AFP surveyed those attending AFP 2021 (in-person and virtual) and received responses from 111 attendees.  The five-question survey focused on career management and preference regarding work environment.  Following are some of the key results. 

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Attracting, engaging and retaining staff

When asked what steps their organization is taking to attract, engage and retain staff, over two-thirds of respondents (67%) reported their employers are allowing  flexible work environments. Other actions organizations are taking to retain staff included: encouraging participation in professional development (48%), enhanced compensation and benefits (42%), and internal staff promotions (41%).  

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The 2022 work environment

After nearly two years of remote work, where do most financial professionals expect to be working — or where do they want to be working? Hybrid is the word: 68% expect a hybrid arrangement in 2022, and 63% prefer it. While 23% of respondents expect to be working fully in-person again, it is a preferred choice for only 14%. And though 23% prefer to remain remote, only 9% expect that to happen. 

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Resignations (mostly) on hold  

The year 2021 saw a tremendous level of turnover and job changes. Based on the answers from our respondents, 2022 will be much milder with the majority indicating they aren’t planning to transition to new jobs at either their organization (77%) or to a new job at another organization (62%) in the next 3-6 months. However, a third of attendees are on the fence about taking a new job with another organization. Why would they leave their current organizations? The top three reasons given were: insufficient opportunity to grow, lack of a flexible work environment, and burnout. 

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Career development is not top of mind

A little over a third (38%) of survey participants do have a clearly defined career plan in place, in which they are actively participating, Forty-four percent admit they do not have a defined plan but do participate in learning opportunities when they arise.  Based on responses, few employers (12%) are leading the career planning process for their employees, while slightly less than half of respondents say their employers do play some role in their career planning.  

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